"Shuruaat", the debut album of Berklee Indian Ensemble, has been nominated for the 65th annual Grammy Awards, giving two Bangladeshis who were part of the troupe a rare honour for the first time at the world's biggest music awards.
The song 'Jaago Piya', with lyrics by Nashid Kamal and vocals by her daughter Armeen Musa, was one of the tracks in the album nominated in the Best Global Music Album category.
'Shuruaat' features four original compositions alongside covers and collaborations with legends, including tabla master Zakir Hussain, singers Shankar Mahadevan and Vijay Prakash, and Bollywood icon Shreya Ghoshal, according to Berklee Indian Ensemble.
"It includes 98 musicians from 39 countries. And this 98 is only a glimpse—a small glimpse—into the almost 500 artists who've been part of the ensemble over the years,” Annette Philip, artistic director of the ensemble, says.
Other nominees in this category include international sensations like Burna Boy, Anoushka Shankar and Masa Takumi.
Nashid Kamal is an eminent Bangladeshi vocalist, writer and teacher, according to her LinkedIn profile. She has taught at different universities in Dhaka.
Armeen Musa is a music director, singer-songwriter and educator based out of Dhaka, according to her website.
The artists, albums and songs nominated for the awards at the 65th annual ceremony were announced on Tuesday. The awards will be presented on Feb 5 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.